Bombardier who was found hanged had been in fight with junior soldier, inquest hears

A Royal Artillery NCO took her own life hours after getting into a fight with a junior colleague because she feared it would cost her a promotion, an inquest into her death has heard.

Bombardier Nadine Askew, 31, was found dead in her room at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire on 22 July 2021.

Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court heard Bdr Askew had got into a dispute with a fellow soldier, a gunner - the Royal Artillery equivalent of a private - during a party at an accommodation block the evening before.

Friend had "seen red"

Lucy Clark, a fellow bombardier - the Royal Artillery equivalent of corporal - agreed her friend had "seen red" and was worried the fight would cost her a forthcoming promotion to sergeant.

She told the inquest: "She knew that getting into a fight and essentially hitting a gunner was going to have repercussions on her career.

"A lot of the time the repercussion for fighting is a demotion and she wasn't wearing sergeant yet, so the fear was a demotion in general, but she would have potentially been busted back down to lance bombardier."

The inquest heard several soldiers, including Bdr Askew, had been out socialising at a nearby pub and had returned to the garrison where a party took place.

Bdr Clark said the fight had broken out after the gunner approached Bdr Askew to apologise for something he had done earlier in the day.

She said: "She didn't want to hear it, but he kept persisting. She jumped up from the bench and went for him effectively, and a fight broke out between the two.

"She shot up and went to go and grab him, she punched him, and then she got restrained and someone dragged her off, and someone dragged him away.

"She managed to head-butt him before he was dragged away fully out of there. There was a lot of shouting."

Previous incidents of self-harm

The witness said she had had no concerns about Bdr Askew self-harming, however the inquest heard there had been previous incidents of self-harm.

Bdr Askew, who tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, had been placed on the vulnerability risk management register and received mental health support.

When she was asked about her reaction to the death of her friend, Bdr Clark replied: "It was one of the biggest shocks of my life."

The inquest heard Bdr Askew's cause of death was given as hanging. The inquest continues.